ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Just as Lobo basketball fans rebounded from one loss of a legend in the past few months, another two spread through the fan base, making three losses in the past three months. 

“We never know when your life can be taken. There’s no guarantees in this life,” said Samwel Baca, a longtime basketball fan. 

Baca is a longtime Lobo fan. He says he’s devastated over the recent losses of three Lobo legends.

“They were great prayers. They were college students, and they had families, but probably missing dearly,” said Baca. 

Ruben Douglas died in Costa Rica in April from an unknown infection. He was 44.  

About a month later, Drew Gordon died in a car crash. Police say Gordon was on a three-wheeled motorcycle when he collided with a truck on a two lane road in Portland, Oregon. He was 33.

About another month later, Greg Brown died in a car crash Friday. He was 51. 

Lobo Nation is reacting to back-to-back tragedies. 

“What are the chances that of that? You know what I mean?” said Lacey Camden.

Douglas played for the Lobos in the early 2000s. He led the nation in scoring his senior year and still holds the record for most 20 point games in a career. He went on to have a successful career playing overseas, and the Mountain West Conference recently selected him for the 25th anniversary team. 

Fans from all over the world showed their support on social media. 

“We’re pretty close-knit here, and so it was just, it’s sad, and they were young. They were very young,” said Victoria Cordero.

Gordon played for UNM in the early 2010s. He led the Lobos to a Mountain West Championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the 2011-2012 season. 

He went on to play professionally overseas and in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers.  His celebrity colleagues like Magic Johnson posted about the loss online, sending condolences to Gordon’s family. That includes his younger brother, Aaron Gordon, who plays for the Denver Nuggets. 

As those two losses were just sinking in for families and fans, the news about Brown made the rounds in the sports world. He was an Albuquerque High School graduate, and joined the Lobos in the mid 90s. 

In 1994, he got the Pomeroy Naismith Award, an honor recognizing the nation’s best player under 6 feet tall. 

In 2008, he was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame as he stayed active in the local basketball community, coaching the next generation of players. Including his own daughter, Amaya Brown, who finished her college career at UNM in 2023. 

Amaya thanked Lobo Nation for the support.

“My sympathies for them and their family, and I’m sorry for their loss,” said Baca. 

There’s a GoFundMe page set up for the Brown family.